Share the Load

Characters
Wife: Tanvi
Husband: Kunal
Son: Tanvesh
Daughter: Rinky
Tanvi’s Mother
Tanvi’s Father

SCENE 1

(Family scene – Husband sitting and reading the newspaper; Rinky sitting and talking to her grandfather, Tanvesh drawing a picture)

Tanvi walks in, after her work, bag in hand.

Tanvi: “Hi everyone! (goes to her father) Hi Papa, did you take your tablets today?”

Father: “Yes, my dear. How are you?”

Rinky: “Hi Mama, I was waiting for you. I got full marks in dictation today!”

Tanvi: “Wow! That’s so nice my child.”

Tanvesh: “Good evening, mama.”

Tanvi: “Good evening, son. What are you busy with?”

Tanvesh: “I am drawing… We have a competition on the topic, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.”

Tanvi: “That’s a wonderful topic! It will help you to care more for Mother Earth.”

Kunal: “Hey Tanvi, good you came! I badly wanted a cup of tea.”

Tanvi: “I will bring it soon.”

Tanvesh: “Mama, I want to eat sheera.”

Tanvi: “And what about you, Rinky? Will you also eat sheera?”

Rinky: “Yes, mama.”

(Tanvi changes shoes, wears slippers and an apron, and goes to the kitchen. If possible show a small kitchen and Tanvi preparing tea and sheera)

(Tanvi comes after a while with tea and sheera for everyone, and while everyone is eating, she goes around the house clearing the mess – children’s clothes and toys.)

Tanvi’s father (looks at his daughter and speaks aloud to himself): “I feel bad looking at my little girl; when she was small, she used to play house-house. And now that she has grown up, she is maintaining the house. I feel really bad… look at her husband; he came from the office and sat to relax with the newspaper, but she came from office and had to prepare tea and clean up the house…”

Get the digital edition of the September 2024 issue to read the full article.